Meeting with my supervisor

I think sometimes I fill the time I have with my supervisor with lots of words so I do not have to consider her point of view. I am sure that this is not a useful thing to do.

Suddenly I feel too young to be doing this project. I am not that young but I have no perspective when it comes to thinking about where nostalgia for lost community might actually come from. When people talk about a lack of an Australian identity being a contemporary problem I sideline the content of their claim and set about ascribing motivations. Perhaps the world is different now and so I should be thinking of change. Could be a good opportunity to use Swidler’s work on change in settled and unsettled times?

As for the being stuck on writing, my supervisor reasserted that the critical question at the moment is ‘why?’ After listening to accounts of a fellow student’s 6 month review I was tempted to ask her what she meant by ‘why’, but I think I need to stop making excuses and get on with it all. I do not feel stressed out, but I feel a sense of anticipation.

I was surprised that my supervisor was more concerned about checking that I am actually ‘doing it’ when it comes to being immersed in the field than being concerned that I am getting distracted with enjoying my field work and neglecting my confirmation report. Yet she has a good point in that the real value will come from time and experiences, as I am sure that taking on the challenge of dealing with the actual is ‘why’ I am doing this project in the first place.